The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-01-20
WOMEN WHO ARE ATHLETES.
Circus Performers Taught the Art Mt
r1nfoxur

Circus Performers Taught the Art ut an
$50 Uptown Gymnasium.
Many people have long been at q loss to
know where the lady athletes learn the
art by which they earn livelihood and by
whom they are taught A professor has
y private gymnasium in an uptown street
at which many of the queens of the air are
Instructed in the art of hanging by their
toes Rnd going through various other acts
well known to the frequenters of the cir
Gus and the variety theatre. A feSorter
had long talk with th .;; professor and waa
tn." Low these athletes are tanght. When
the rerartes entered the studio lie found
the professor instructing two young ladies
in trapeze maneuvers. The visitor was
invited into private room, as it is against
the rules for any one to be present while
pupils are taking lessons, The rooms
were decorated with Autographs OF tho
shining tights of the profession, whom the
professor had fitted for the business.
After the lesson was over the professor
took the scribe through the different apart
ments. -
~ suppose a person must be very young
and supple at tho start 10 make any
thing like a good acrobati'
Z ess q WUCiS you biC 0ullICty
sir. Any woman can become n good per.
former after u proper course of training, II
she be but healthy and not too stout It
Is all mechanical and can he acquired only
by constant practice. have ladies' COME
to me who arc anything but graceful, and
by following my advice and suggestions
closely they have become first class per-
formers and are now earning good sal
nrtes, Many fail because they Sah't stand
thc hardship inseParable from tho first few
days practice. After the initial lesson
they invariably decline to take the rest of
the course. Nine persons out of every
ten give it up after the first lesson. If
they would only keen On tho pain wnniti
gradually disappear and they would be all
right and never be similarly troubled
again" Z;
isRhat Is the first lesson yon eivcs"
Tho first lesson I give Is to get my
money-niy retainer, as it were. That *
Also the first lesson they give Inc. Then
they are ready for the first lesson, which
consists or naugInS Uy- -s....,I---....-a
swinging to and fro across the room,
which I have them do In order To satisfy
myself of their strength. They generally
swing across twice and fall upon o feather
bed. The next 1lgure IL TO hang 10y the
hands from the bar After they have
gone SO far they take hold of the ropes aud
slide up into n sitting position. After q
few moments rest make them get down
by reversing the motion. $50
fWhen I have progressed thus far I
teach them to hang by their knees, This
II not quito 30 difficult as the previous
lessan, After they have gone through
this motion several times they feel like
going home, When won,a0 has gone as
far rs this without complaining much, it
is pretty safe to say she will succeed I'm
tho profession she has chosen. Most of
them think every muscle in the body has
been severed, have had pupils come 10
me aztec an absence OF u week and tell me
they felt the bars across their backs
New York Mail aud Express, ~A ~